Ongoing Impunity: Continued Burma Army Atrocities against the Kachin People

This report provides an update of atrocities committed by the Burma Army against civilians since it broke its 17-year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) one year ago. It highlights the particular suffering of women during the conflict, who have been forced to be porters, used as sex slaves, gang-raped and killed […]

Extreme Measures: Torture and Ill Treatment in Burma since the 2010 Elections

This report documents the Government of Burma’s torture and ill treatment against its own people since the 2010 elections. This report demonstrates that the Burmese government continues to commit these abuses despite being bound to international human rights treaties and norms. Furthermore, the lack of domestic legislation prohibiting torture, the absence of an independent judiciary, and an ineffective Human Rights Commission contribute to a climate where torture and ill treatment are perpetrated with impunity […]

EU Program to Help the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission Must Ensure Substantive Changes

Burma Partnership welcomes the announcement by Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative, to launch a programme to help the MNHRC. However, the EU’s support to the MNHRC must not be limited to increasing the skills of its personnel or it would only legitimize a dysfunctional institution that will best serve the government rather than the people of Burma. The EU must engage in a restructuring of the MNHRC to ensure it becomes an independent, transparent and effective institution.

In this short briefer, Burma Partnership presents recommendations to the EU to ensure its program brings substantive changes to the MNHRC to truly make it independent, transparent and accessible to victims of human rights violations […]

Revisiting Human Rights in Myanmar

On 23 May 2012, Amnesty International concluded its first official visit to Myanmar since 2003. This report illustrates Amnesty’s general impressions of the current human rights situation, and looks at five specific topics: political imprisonment, rule of law, ethnic minorities, accountability, and economic, social and cultural rights.

Annual Report 2012: Myanmar

The government enacted limited political and economic reforms, but human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in ethnic minority areas increased during the year. Some of these amounted to crimes against humanity or war crimes […]

Catalyst for Conflict

Foreign investments are causing increasing conflict and abuses in northern Burma despite recent ceasefire agreements and talk of reform in the country, according to a briefing paper released by the Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization […]

Uncertain Ground: Landmine Use in Eastern Burma

This report focuses on field information received between January and December 2011. Key updates relating to the use of landmines in 2012 were also included, however due to the sheer volume of information that KHRG regularly receives, all field information received since the beginning of 2012 has […]

Grab for White Gold: Platinum Mining in Eastern Shan State

Since 2007, destructive platinum mining has been taking place in the hills north of Tachilek, eastern Shan State, impacting about 2,000 people from eight Lahu, Akha and Shan villages. The platinum is being extracted by Burmese mining companies […]

Lessons from the Kachin “Development” Experience

Burma’s government is using the promise of development as a key component in its current peace negotiations with armed ethnic organizations, proposing ceasefire first, then development, and finally a national political agreement. This process has been tried before in Kachin State with disastrous consequences

Not Open for Business: Despite Elections, Investor Risk Remains High in Burma

The April 1 Burmese by-elections are being heralded as a great success both for the people of Burma and for the international community after more than a decade of sanctions. While there is cause to celebrate in the wake of initial reforms by President Thein Sein and the electoral victory of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, high levels of risk for investors – and the people of Burma – remain […]